About Magnificent Redemption

Desmond Moses Anderson, an honor student and nationally recognized four-sport athlete destined for a promising future, is dealt an unjust hand during his freshman year of college in the 1960s when he was sentenced to a 40-year prison term in the Deep South for a crime he did not commit. But Desmond knows adversity first hand, growing up in a riot-torn, crime-ravaged urban community in the North, which formed his steel-willed determination. In this novel, Desmond’s life is skillfully depicted upon his release from prison through diverse themes of murder, sexual liaisons, homosexuality, Alzheimer’s disease, and spirituality. Revisit with him—four decades later—his past relationships, his family bonds and the crimes that robbed him of his bright future and threaten the final chapter of his life.

2013 INDIE BOOK AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED

Independent Book Publishing Professionals Group has named the best indie book of 2013

New York, May 28, 2013/PRNewswire/- The books are winners of the 2013 Next Generation Indie Book Awards, a non-profit awards program judged by leaders in the indie book publishing industry to identify indie books that deserve to reach a wider audience. Magnificent Redemption was a Finalist in the African American category.

“We like to think of our awards program as the ‘Sundance’ of the book publishing world,” said Catherine Goulet, chair of the 2013 Next Generation Indie Book Awards program.

In an article at CNN.com titled “If it’s cool, creative, and different, it’s indie,” journalist Catherine Andrews wrote: “The term ‘indie’ traditionally refers to independent art—music, film, literature or anything that fits under the broad banner of culture—created outside of the mainstream and without corporate financing.”

Independent book publishing companies are independent of the major conglomerates that dominate the book publishing industry. The indies include small presses, larger independent publishers, university presses, e-book publishers, and self-published authors.

According to Goulet, “Like other independent artists, many indie book publishers face challenges that the industry giants don’t experience. They typically have to work a lot harder to get their best books into retail stores and ultimately into the hands of readers.

“Authors and publishers who compete in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards are serious about promoting their books,” Goulet added. “They aim to stand out from the crowd of millions of books in print.”

According to Bowker’s Books in Print database, more than four million new titles were published in 2010 (the most recent year for which complete figures are available). Of these, more than 3.8 million were “non-traditionally” published books, including print-on-demand—Magnificent Redemptionwas published by Amazon.com’s print-on-demand company, CreateSpace—and self-published titles. The number of self-published books produced annually in the U.S. has nearly tripled, growing 287 percent since 2006.

A complete list of 2013 winners and finalists is available at the Next Generation Indie Book Awards website at www.indiebookawards.com.

Contact: Catherine Goulet, 403.629.0467

Reviews for MAGNIFICENT REDEMPTION

“Magnificent Redemption” was a magnificent read! The novel really filled a void in the publishing world. A storyline which focuses on African American males that excel in sports and academics, are service oriented, and love the Lord has not been done before in such a compelling and realistic manner.

The fact that the story centered on Newark, NJ, my hometown, was icing on the cake! I grew up with, and know plenty of males like Desmond Anderson, the central character. Unfortunately, the mass media typically doesn’t report on the strengths and courage of the Black men in cities like Newark, nor on the Black women who love them.

Magnificent Redemption does. It is an honest portrayal of what it’s like for African Americans now and in the 60s. I highly recommend the book and commend Marc Curtis Little for telling this story.

Cheryl Mitchell Wade, screenwriter

California

This action-packed novel is a must read. I am especially grateful for the insight Marc Curtis Little shares into a heartless world of greed, insensitivity and despair. Magnificent Redemption helps us to strategically target our enemy as we pray for redemption for many who go astray. Kudos, Brother Marc Curtis Little!

Lola Hardaway, evangelist and author

Florida

“Wow” is an understatement! This book is excellent, and twisting and the ending blew me away!

K Jones

New York

As a Newarker myself, I really connected to this book. The ending was so very unsuspected! I applaud Marc Curtis Little and his ability to tell Newark’s story alongside a cultural portrait that few would understand—unless you grew up Black in Newark during that time.

Charles Mapson, corporate executive

Texas

Don’t Blink When God Calls, Angels in the Midst, and now Magnificent Redemption. Marc Curtis Little never disappoints in his writings.

Julie Etta, evangelist

Georgia

I enjoyed reading this book. I was drawn in from the beginning. The characters were authentic, and being from Essex County, New Jersey, the places were familiar. I could not turn away from the storyline. I always try to predict the ending of a book, but the ending of Magnificent Redemption had an unexpected twist, which was not predictable at all. This was my first Marc Curtis Little book, but because of the all around good, entertaining read, I am planning to read Don’t Blink When God Calls and Angels in the Midst, as well as future titles.

Kassundra, coordinator of the Ronald Murphy Readers Book Club

New Jersey

Desmond Anderson, an honor student and nationally recognized four-sport athlete destined for a promising future, is dealt an unjust hand during his freshman year of college in the 1960s, when he was sentenced to a 40-year prison term in the Deep South for a crime he did not commit. But Desmond knows adversity first hand, growing up in a riot-torn, crime-ravaged urban community in the North, which formed his steel-willed determination. In this novel, Desmond’s life is skillfully depicted upon his release from prison through diverse themes of murder, sexual liaisons, homosexuality, Alzheimer’s disease, and spirituality. Revisit with him—four decades later—his past relationships, his family bonds, and the crimes that robbed him of his bright future and threaten the final chapter of his life.

Here’s what two judges from the Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards competition had to say about Magnificent Redemption:

“Good work on this story! The production and cover were well-done and will draw the reader in. Also, the plot and conflict of a past mistake coming back to haunt Desmond is interesting. The racial tension is built up well and portrayed well. While there were important social themes here, the exploration of the issues does not come off overly preachy. Desmond was a good character whose past helped to examine the questions inspired by the plot.”

The novel was evaluated on a scale of 1 to 5. Here is how Magnificent Redemption was rated by one judge:

Grammar: 4

Production Quality and Cover Design: 4

Structure and Organization: 3

Plot: 3

Character Development: 2

“The front cover is intriguing and draws the reader in. The colors are just right. The back copy is well-done and compels the readers even more to crack open this book! I love the author’s bio and photo on the back; I really like the author’s acknowledgments and personal tributes in the book as well, but I’m not sure they belong up front. The author’s extensive research shows clearly. The characters were all well-drawn, and I really like the addition of each individual’s needed redemption in the introduction. That was a brilliant touch. (I’m really bummed that Dez’s redemption required him to die though).

I loved the interior elegant font for the book’s title and at the beginning of the introductory material and wonder why it is not on the cover as well as at the start of each chapter. The first letter of each chapter’s first word would look great with that addition. The photo of the book’s cover on the current chapter heading just doesn’t work for me. Another thing that was bothersome is that Eve’s acceptance of Dez’s sexual relationship with Charlene doesn’t ring true; and I understand that Charlene is alluring, but I find it hard to accept that Dez would sleep with her even the first time because he knows that she is trouble and a threat to his relationship with Eve. Since it is integral to the story, I know it can’t be removed, but perhaps it can be better justified.”

The novel was rated on a scale of 1 to 5. Here is how Magnificent Redemption was rated by another judge: